U.S. patent number 4,140,442 [Application Number 05/777,139] was granted by the patent office on 1979-02-20 for high pressure pump.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Perfect Pump Co., Inc.. Invention is credited to Philip A. Mulvey.
United States Patent |
4,140,442 |
Mulvey |
February 20, 1979 |
High pressure pump
Abstract
There is disclosed an improved high pressure pump which includes
an improved valve system wherein each of the valve assemblies
includes a valve housing having a cup-shaped chamber surrounded by
an apertured sidewall, an apertured top wall and a defined open
bottom wall, the valve housing further including a peripheral
continuous flange carried on the bottom end thereof and extending
for a short distance outwardly from the valve housing and having a
continuous side edge on an outer surface thereof, the outer surface
of the continuous flange provided with a continuous shoulder spaced
distance inwardly from the side edge of the flange and bounding the
defined open bottom wall of the valve housing, and the valve
assembly being completed by a valve cap positioned in arrested
arrangement within the valve housing and adapted for reciprocating
movement such that the valve cap alternately opens and closes the
open bottom wall, and further characterized in that the valve
housing including the cup-shaped chamber, the peripheral continuous
flange and the continuous shoulder are formed integrally as a
one-piece construction. An additional feature of the invention is
the provision of a two part plunger arrangement which includes a
crank case plunger suction having an inner end for connection to
the crank shaft and an outer end including locking means associated
therewith, and an outer pump plunger section having an inner end
for matingly locking with the outer end of the crank case plunger,
and an outer opposed pusher end for contacting the fluid to be
pressurized and pumped. The plunger arrangement is further
characterized in that locking means are provided for lockingly
engaging the crank case plunger section with the pump plunger
section in order to permit the removable engagement
therebetween.
Inventors: |
Mulvey; Philip A. (Elmhurst,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Perfect Pump Co., Inc.
(Elmhurst, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
25109398 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/777,139 |
Filed: |
March 14, 1977 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/454;
137/454.4; 137/543.17; 417/569; 92/156; 92/168 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B
53/04 (20130101); F04B 53/1032 (20130101); F04B
53/164 (20130101); F04B 53/14 (20130101); Y10T
137/7936 (20150401); Y10T 137/7559 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
F04B
53/00 (20060101); F04B 53/10 (20060101); F04B
53/16 (20060101); F04B 53/14 (20060101); F04B
53/04 (20060101); F04B 039/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;417/454,536
;137/454.4,454.6,543.17,543.19 ;123/198DA,198P,195C ;184/6.5
;92/156,168 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Husar; C. J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Knechtel, Valentino, Demeur &
Dallas
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a high pressure pump of the type having a rotatable crank
shaft connected to and moving a plunger through a suction stroke
and a pressure stroke to urge fluid from the suction chamber into
the plunger chamber of the pump and then urge the fluid under
pressure through a discharge chamber and out of the pump, and
further characterized by having a valve system including at least a
first valve assembly interposed between the suction chamber and
plunger chamber and operationally functioning to open and admit
fluid into the plunger chamber during a suction stroke of the
plunger, and at least a second valve assembly interposed between
the plunger chamber and the discharge chamber and operationally
reversed relative to the first valve assembly such that the second
valve assembly closes when the first valve assembly is open, and
the opening and closing of the first and second valve assemblies is
reversed during the pressure stroke of the plunger, the improvement
comprising
an improved valve system wherein each of said valve assemblies
includes a valve housing,
said valve housing having a cup-shaped chamber surrounded by an
apertured sidewall, an apertured top wall, and a defined open
bottom wall,
said valve housing further including a peripheral continuous flange
carried on the bottom end thereof and extending for a short
distance laterally outwardly from said valve housing,
a valve seat section formed by a main body portion having a central
aperture therethrough and having an inner stepped wall and a spaced
outer wall which includes an annular groove formed therein,
said continuous peripheral flange being sized to seat and be
fixedly secured within the space between said inner stepped wall
thereby to form an integral valve assembly,
said valve assembly being completed by a valve cap positioned in
arrested arrangement within said valve housing and adapted for
reciprocating movement therein such that said valve cap alternately
opens and closes said central aperture in response to the movement
of fluid therethrough, and
said valve housing including said cup-shaped chamber, said
peripheral continuous flange and said valve seat section being
formed such that said valve assembly is an integral assembly.
2. The high pressure pump as set forth in claim 1 above, which
further includes biasing means interposed between said valve cap
and said top wall of said housing such that said valve cap is
normally biasingly urged into a seated position for closing said
defined open bottom wall of said valve assembly.
3. The high pressure pump as set forth in claim 2 above, wherein
said biasing means is formed by a coil spring biased between the
apertured top wall of said valve housing and said valve cap.
4. A high pressure pump of the type having a rotatable crank shaft
connected to and moving a plunger through a suction stroke and a
pressure stroke to urge fluid from the suction chamber into the
plunger chamber of the pump and then urge the fluid under pressure
through a discharge chamber and out of the pump and further
characterized by having a valve system including at least a first
valve assembly interposed between the suction chamber and plunger
chamber and operationally functioning to open and admit fluid into
the plunger chamber during the suction stroke of the plunger, and
at least a second valve assembly interposed between the plunger
chamber and the discharge chamber and operationally reversed
relative to the first valve assembly such that the second valve
assembly closes when the first valve assembly is open, and the
opening and closing of the first and second valve assemblies is
reversed during the pressure stroke of the plunger, comprising,
an improved valve system wherein each of the valve assemblies is
formed by a valve housing,
said valve housing having a cup-shaped chamber surrounded by an
apertured sidewall, an apertured top wall and a defined open bottom
wall,
said valve housing further including a peripheral continuous flange
carried on the bottom end thereof and extending for a short
distance laterally outwardly from said valve housing,
a valve seat section formed by a main body portion having a central
aperture therethrough and having an inner stepped wall and an outer
wall which includes an annular groove formed therein,
said continuous peripheral flange being sized to seat and be
fixedly secured within the space between said inner stepped wall
and said outer wall thereby to form an integral valve assembly,
said valve assembly being completed by a valve cap positioned in
arrested arrangement within said valve housing and adapted for
reciprocating movement therein such that said valve cap alternately
opens and closes said central aperture in response to the movement
of fluid therethrough,
said valve housing including a cup-shaped chamber, said peripheral
continuous flange and said valve seat section being formed such
that said valve assembly is an integral assembly,
said pump further including an improved plunger assembly,
said plunger assembly including a crank case plunger section having
an inner end for connection to the crank shaft and an outer end
including locking means associated therewith,
an outer pump plunger section having an inner end including mating
lock means for matingly nesting with and engaging said lock means
on said crank case plunger section and an opposed pusher end of
said pump plunger section,
said crank case plunger section and said pump plunger section being
removably engageable one with respect to the other such that said
pump plunger section may be removed from said crank case plunger
section to replace the same, and
means associated with said plunger arrangement for lockingly
engaging said crank case plunger section and said pump plunger
section in locked relationship during use.
5. The high pressure pump as set forth in claim 4 above, wherein
said pump is provided with a cylindrical chamber for accommodating
the reciprocation of said plunger therein,
said cylindrical chamber being provided with an improved packing
system for effecting the distribution of grease about the periphery
of said plunger arrangement,
said improved packing system including an enlarged grease ring
provided with a seating surface including a stepped section to
accommodate an O-ring therein, and a packing ring butting surface
along the opposed wall thereof,
a plurality of annular packing rings positioned in stacked
arrangement one with respect to the other, said stack of packing
rings supported against the packing ring butting surface of said
grease ring at one end, and having a V-ring bearing surface at the
opposed end of said stack,
a base V-ring having an inner surface for bearing against said
V-ring bearing surface of said stack of packing rings and a spring
support surface on the opposed surface thereof, said base V-ring
being formed of a solid non-resilient metallic material such that
said base V-ring resists distortion in any direction, and
said packing system being completed by a spring member bearing
against said opposed surface of said base V-ring at its one end,
and bearing against the end of the cylindrical chamber at its
opposed end,
whereby said packing system is accommodated within said cylindrical
chamber and overrides said pump plunger section of said plunger
arrangement in order to provide an improved greasing function as
well as to eliminate the cocking and extruding of said packing
system during the reciprocation of said plunger arrangement.
6. The high pressure pump as set forth in claim 4 above, wherein
said crank shaft plunger section includes an annular recess in the
outer end portion thereof and a threaded channel extending
downwardly from said annular recess,
said pump plunger section being provided with an extension portion
at the inner end thereof,
said extension portion being sized to nest within said annular
recess of said crank case plunger section,
said crank case plunger section and said pump plunger section each
having a central core extending transversely therethrough, and
said locking means for lockingly engaging said pump plunger section
to said crank case plunger section including a threaded shaft
having threaded portions at the opposed ends thereof such that the
inner threaded portion threadingly engages said threaded channel of
said crank case plunger section while the threaded portion of the
opposed end thereof adjacent the outer end of said pump plunger
section is adapted to accommodate a threaded nut such that said
crank case plunger section and pump plunger section may be
lockingly engaged together to function as a unitary element while
permitting the removable engagement of said pump plunger section
with said crank case plunger section by removing said threaded nut
therefrom.
7. A high pressure pump as set forth in claim 6 above, wherein said
plunger arrangement is further provided with an annular groove
interposed between the opposed ends thereof, said annular groove
carrying a protector seal therein, said protector seal functioning
to prevent the interchange of fluids from said crank case and from
said suction and discharge chambers of said pump.
8. The high pressure pump as set forth in claim 4 above, wherein
said pump further is provided with a crank case housing,
said crank case housing defining a crank case chamber surrounded by
sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall,
said bottom wall of said crank case chamber having a V-shaped
configuration side to side, and having a definite angled slope,
said slope being pitched from a high end at the pump end of said
crank case chamber and a low end at the rear end of said crank case
chamber,
said crank case housing being provided with a drain plug being
positioned at the lowest point of said backwall of said housing and
in alignment with the apex of said V-shaped bottom wall,
whereby lubricating fluid contained within said crank case chamber
may be drained therefrom by removing said plug from said back wall
of said crank case chamber and permitting the lubricating fluid to
flow through said drain hole by gravity due to the contour of said
V-shaped bottom wall as well as the slope of the bottom wall from
pump side to back side thereof.
9. The high pressure pump as set forth in claim 6 above, wherein
said annular recess of said crank case plunger section is further
provided with a peripheral groove positioned interiorly thereof and
circumferentially arranged,
said groove accommodating an O-ring seal therein,
whereby said O-ring functions to seal said pump plunger section
within said crank case plunger section when in locked position
therein.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject matter of the present invention is related to U.S. Pat.
No. 3,849,032 which is similarly directed to a high pressure
reciprocating pump and which is owned by the assignee of the
present invention. The present invention pertains to various
improvements directed to components of the high pressure pump
described therein and as will be more fully described
hereinafter.
High pressure pumps of the type disclosed herein are particularly
useful for application such as car wash operations, or any other
similar operation where it is desired to discharge a fluid such as
water at a relatively high pressure. It will be appreciated that
most such operations involve a cleaning process where the pressure
of the fluid discharged from the pump is intended to perform a
cleaning function by relying upon the pressure of the fluid ejected
from the pump. It will therefore be appreciated that it is
desirable to provide a high pressure pump which incorporates
components having the ability to withstand high fluid pressures in
order to function efficienty. It has been found to be further
desirable to provide a high pressure pump wherein the various
components will have a long useful life in order to minimize the
down time of the machinery with the attendant cost of repairs.
As will be noted from a review of Pat. No. 3,849,032, the high
pressure pump described therein provided an improved valve assembly
in that the valve construction was formed by a valve housing having
a valve cap positioned therein and seating against a valve seat
formed as a separate element, that is, separate from the valve
housing. The construction of the valve assembly was essentially
completed by providing an annular elastomeric seal and an anchoring
ring, as separate elements, the elastomeric seal overlying and
maintaining the valve housing and valve seat in position. The valve
seat, in turn, in use, is placed in a approproiate entry or
discharge port, the annular elastomeric seal functioning to
frictionally position the valve assembly in position. It will
therefore be appreciated that the valve assembly as described in
U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,032 is intended as a basic three part
construction, the three parts basically including the valve
housing, the valve seat, and the annular elastomeric seal.
It was found however, that upon prolonged use of the high pressure
pump, the elastomeric seal would peel back or extrude and cause a
floating of the valve assembly within the corresponding port. This
would, in turn, cause leaking through the valve assembly and
necessitate that the pump be torn apart for the purpose of
replacing the valve assembly in order provide a tighter elastomeric
seal to firmly position the valve assembly within the appropriate
port. Hence, while the valve assembly as described therein achieved
an improved construction at the time, it has now been found to be
desirable to further improve the valve assembly in order to achieve
a much improved and longer lasting pump assembly.
It was further found that additional improvements could be effected
over the pump shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,032 in order to further
improve the life of the pump as well as the efficiency thereof. In
this connection, it was found that the plunger generally associated
with high pressure pumps such as the type described above generally
provide a solid cylindrical plunger which reciprocates within the
cylindrical chamber. A packing system is provided in such pumps
which include a grease ring associated with a grease fitting so
that grease may be applied to the packing with the attendant result
that the plunger would be lubricated during the reciprocating
movement thereof. While this was found to be reasonably efficient,
nevertheless, in view of some of the usages of such pumps, the
plunger has a tendency to wear due to the abrasive materials which
are carried by the fluid being pushed through the pump. For
example, where such pumps are used in a car wash assembly, the
fluid employed is water, and usually, detergent materials are used
with the water. During periods of prolonged non-use, the detergent
has a tendency to settle out of the fluid and return to granular
form. Hence, any fluid existing in the cylindrical cylinder
containing the plunger will contain a fair quantity of particlized
detergent. When the pump is then reactivated, as the plunger
reciprocates through the packing system, the abrasive materials
have a tendency to score and deteriorate the outer surface of the
plunger. This, in turn, will ultimately cause fluid to leak through
the packing system and may ultimately find its way into the crank
case. Leaks of this type require that the pump be dismantled with a
view toward changing the plunger in order to provide a plunger
having a smooth and integral surface to eliminate such types of
leaks.
It was further noted that in order to change the ratio of incoming
fluid to discharge fluid, an entirely different pump was necessary.
For example, a pump designed to discharge six gallons of fluid per
minute, would have a particular plunger diameter and in order to
vary that discharge rate, a pump having a different plunger
diameter must be substituted therefor. Hence, it has been found
that by changing the plunger arrangement, and specifically, by
providing a two-piece plunger as opposed to a one-piece plunger,
not only can the wet end of the plunger be easily replaced in the
event of an abraded surface, but also, one can vary the diameter of
the wet end portion of the plunger without at the same time
requiring that the pump be replaced, or that the entire plunger be
removed in order to fit either a larger or a smaller diameter
plunger. Hence, it has been found that additional improvements can
be made with regard to the plunger assembly culminating in an
overall more efficient pump assembly.
Another area where some difficulties have been found relate to the
crank case housing and the manner in which the same is drained. The
prior art devices as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,032
generally provide a crank case housing wherein the internal portion
of the housing sits relatively parallel to an underlying support
surface such that the bottom wall is reasonably flat. Drain holes
are positioned in either the side walls or the back wall of the
housing and fitted with a drain plug which may be removed in order
to remove the sludge and oil from the crank case in order to
replace the same with fresh oil. While theoretically this
arrangement should operate efficiently, nevertheless it has been
found that crank case oil often contains a great deal of heavy
sludge which is more solid than liquid, and hence, upon draining
the fluid from the crank case, a good portion of the sludge will
not normally drain from the crank case housing by natural gravity
flow. Hence, as the lubricating oil is replenished constantly, a
greater degree of sludge is left behind in the crank case, until
utilimately, the build-up of sludge causes problems with the crank
shaft. The present invention provides an improved construction of
the crank case housing, which in combination with the other
features to be described more fully hereinafter, provides a high
pressure pump which has a manifestly longer useful life than
heretofore possible in the past.
In connection with the provision of a packing system, it has also
been the practice to provide a packing system which includes a base
V-ring which is interposed between the plurality of annular packing
rings, and the coil spring which butts against the forward wall of
the cylindrical chamber. Generally, such base V-rings are formed of
an elastomeric material, and it has been found that various
problems arise because of this construction. For example, generally
the coil spring which is provided has a final turn in the spring
which is bottomed against the base V-ring, and an opposed final
turn which butts against the cylinder chamber wall. The final turn
which butts against the base V-ring has been found to cause cocking
and fracturing of the base V-ring due to the fact the same is
formed of an elastomeric material. It has been found that once the
base V-ring commences to cock, after prolonged usage, the points of
cocking will utlimately fracture and this causes fluid to leak
through the packing system and hence leak into the crank case
housing. Once again, one feature of the present invention is to
improve upon the packing system, which in combination with the
other features described herein again prolong the useful life of
the pump many times that normally experienced in the past.
Finally, it has been found to be beneficial to provide improved
seals for not only the valve assemblies, but also the sealing
system for the plunger arrangement within the cylindrical chamber
in order to positively insure that lubricating fluid from the crank
case housing will not leak into the wet part of the pump, and
alternatively, that fluid from the wet part of the pump will not
leak into the crank case housing. In the past, it has been found
that the sealing arrangement employed around the plunger has been
less than efficient, such that fluids will tend to leak and
intermix in the crank case housing as well as in the wet end of the
pump. The present invention again seeks to improve upon the sealing
system employed, especially in the area around the plunger in order
to positively eliminate the problem of the exchange of fluids
therebetween.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
It is therefore the principal object of the invention to provide an
improved high pressure pump which includes an improved valve
assembly such that the entire valve assembly is formed of an
integral single piece construction other than the valve cap which
is intended to reciprocate within the valve and to rely upon the
castings for tightening the valve assembly in position in order to
eliminate the floating of the valve within the corresponding
port.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved high
pressure pump of the type described wherein the plunger arrangement
has been converted from a single unitary plunger arrangement to a
two-piece plunger arrangement in order to permit the wet end of the
plunger to be easily removed and replaced when replacement is
warranted, thereby eliminating the need to disassemble the entire
crank case housing, and at the same time, permit a variety of
diametrically sized wet end plungers to be substituted such that a
single pump may be accommodated to discharge water at a variety of
fluid pressures.
In connection with the foregoing objects, it is yet a further
object of the invention to provide a high pressure pump of the type
described wherein an improvement has been effected to the packing
system associated with the plunger arrangement in order to obviate
and eliminate the problem of fluid leakage through the packing
system due to the breakdown of the elastomeric base V-ring
incorporated in the system, and to further improve upon the
construction of the grease ring such that elastomeric washers may
be eliminated from the packing system.
A further object of the invention is to provide a high pressure
pump assembly wherein the crank case housing has been improved by
modifying the interior configuration of the housing such that the
drainage of the crank case is dependent not only upon the gravity
flow of the lubricating fluid, but also due to the configuration of
the bottom wall of the housing, the lubricating fluid as well as
any sludge and other foreign matter will have a tendency to flow
out of the crank case in order to minimize the build-up of sludge
within the crank case housing.
Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a
high pressure pump of the type having a rotatable crank shaft
connected to moving a plunger through a suction stroke and a
pressure stroke characterized by having a valve system wherein each
of the valve assemblies includes a valve housing, the valve housing
having a cup-shaped chamber surrounded by an apertured sidewall, an
apertured top wall, and a defined open bottom wall, the valve
housing further including a peripheral continuous flange carried on
the bottom end thereof and extending for a short distance laterally
outwardly from the valve housing, and having a continuous side edge
and an outer surface thereof, the outer surface of the continuous
flange provided with a continuous shoulder spaced a distance
inwardly from the side edge and bounding the defined open bottom
wall of the valve housing, the valve assembly being completed by a
valve cap positioned in arrested arrangement within the valve
housing to alternately open and close the defined open bottom wall
in response to the movement of fluid therethrough, and wherein the
valve housing including the cup-shaped chamber, the peripheral
continuous flange, and the continuous shoulder are formed
integrally as a one-piece construction.
In connection with the foregoing object, it is a further object of
the invention to provide a high pressure pump of the type described
which further includes an improved plunger arrangement wherein the
plunger is formed by a crank case plunger section, having an inner
end connected to the crank shaft, and an outer end including
locking means associated therewith, and a second pump plunger
section having an inner end including mating locking means for
matingly lockingly engaging the outer end of the crank case plunger
section, and an outer wet end intended to push the fluid to be
introduced and discharged from the pump, such that the pump plunger
section may be removed from the crank case plunger section without
the need for disassembling the crank case housing in order to
replace that portion of the plunger arrangement which experiences a
greater amount of wear during usage.
A further feature of the invention is to provide an improved high
pressure pump of the type described above, wherein a further
improvement is provided in connection with the packing system by
providing a base V-ring interposed between the spring tending to
normally maintain the packing system in position within the
cylindrical chamber carrying the plunger, and the stacked
elastomeric packing rings whereby the base V-ring is formed of a
solid, integral, non-resilient and metallic material thereby to
eliminate the possibility of cocking and fracturing of the base
V-ring portion of the packing system.
In connection with the foregoing object, it is yet a further object
of the invention to further improve upon the packing system
associated with the plunger arrangement by providing an improved
grease ring which is formed of a thickened cross-sectional
dimension thereby to eliminate the need for any elastomeric
washers, and to further include a recessed groove along the inner
surface of the grease ring which accommodates the provision of an
O-ring therein in order to provide the necessary seal while at the
same time eliminating the possibility of having the elastomeric
gasket or seal fracture upon prolonged use.
Further features of the invention pertain to the particular
arrangement of the elements and parts whereby the above-outlined
and additional operating features thereof are attained.
The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation,
together with further objects and advantages thereof, will thus be
understood by reference to the following specification, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
With reference to the drawings, the following figures are
shown:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical high pressure pump
relating to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, in cross section, showing the
improved high pressure pump of the present invention and all of the
features attendant thereto;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view in cross section, showing a novel
protective gasket associated with the plunger arrangement which
facilitates the invention of interchanging fluids between the crank
case and the pump;
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view, in cross section, showing the
positioning of the novel valve assemblies of the present invention
within a two cylinder pump;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing the construction of the novel
valve assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view showing the improved packing
system associated with the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a perspective, exploded view, showing the features of the
novel plunger arrangement provided by the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view, in cross section, showing the
features of the plunger arrangement in position in the cylindrical
chamber, as well as the relationship thereof with the packing
system herein and the protective gasket associated therewith;
and
FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view, in cut-away cross section,
showing the configuration of the crank case housing associated with
the high pressure pump of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In summary, the invention provides an improved high pressure pump
of the type including a plunger arrangement adapted for
reciprocating movement in a cylindrical chamber which operates to
introduce a fluid into a suction chamber and to discharge the fluid
from a discharge chamber at a high pressure. The improvement
resides in the construction of an improved valve assembly for use
in the suction and discharge chambers which provides a basic
one-piece construction valve assembly which further includes in
captured arrangement the valve cap which is designed to alternately
open and close the valve opening. In addition, the invention
provides an improved plunger arrangement whereby the plunger is
formed of a two-part construction including a crank case plunger
section attached to the crank shaft and substantially contained
within the crank case housing, and a pump plunger section which is
lockingly engaged with the crank case plunger section and extends
transversely through a cylindrical chamber into the pump portion of
the assembly, such that the pump plunger section may be removed
from the crank case plunger section for replacement purposes
without disassembling the crank case housing.
The invention further provides an improved packing system wherein
the grease ring has been modified in construction to eliminate any
thermoplastic resin washers and to incorporate an O-ring in lieu
thereof, and wherein the base V-ring is formed as a solid integral
non-resilient metallic ring. Furthermore, an improved double lip
gasket is provided in circumferential arrangement about the crank
case plunger section of the plunger arrangement in order to improve
upon the seal to prevent an exchange of fluids between the crank
case housing and the wet pump portion of the assembly.
Finally, the pump is further improved in that the crank case
housing is provided with a V-shaped sloped bottom wall with a rear
wall drain hole and drain plug such that the lubricating fluid to
be drained from the crank case housing will tend to flow not only
by gravity, but also due to the contour of the bottom wall and to
carry with it any sludge or other foreign matter existing within
the crank case housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With specific reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is
shown a high pressure pump of the reciprocating plunger type,
generally referred to by the numeral 10. The pump 10 has a crank
case housing 12 which is supported by a mounting rail 13 and held
by fasteners 15. The crank case housing 12 defines a chamber 17 in
which lubricating oil is delivered through an oil fill 11. A drain
port 18 is enclosed by means of a drain plug 19 which is screw
threadedly fitted into the port 18 in the manner shown in FIG. 2.
The crank case housing 12 also is shown to include a window gauge
20 for permitting the monitoring of the oil levels within the
chamber 17.
The crank case housing 12 contains a crank shaft 22 to which is
joined the connecting rods 23, which are in turn connected to the
plunger arrangement 80 by connecting pin 24. The inner end of the
pump 10 is provided with a housing extension 26 which has a
cylindrical chamber 27 formed therein. The outer end of the
cylindrical chamber 27 includes an annular recess 28 which
accommodates a double lip seal gasket 29 which will be more fully
described hereinafter.
A spacer element 30 separates the housing extension 26 from the
pump housing 32. The pump housing 32 is shown to include a
cylindrical chamber 33 which mates with a similar cylindrical
chamber 31 formed in the spacer element 30. It will be observed
that the entire plunger chamber is formed by the cylindrical
chamber 27 formed in the crank case housing 12 as well as the
cylindrical chamber 31 formed in the spacer element 30, and the
cylindrical chamber 33 formed in the pump housing 32. For the sake
of convenience, the plunger chamber will be generally referred to
by the numeral 35. It will be appreciated that the plunger
arrangement 80 reciprocates in response to the movement of the
rotating crank shaft 22 during the operation of the pump 10.
The pump housing 32 is shown to include a suction housing 37 which
is clamped to crank case housing 12 by bolts 38, which are in turn
held in position by nuts 39. The suction housing 37 is shown to
include a suction port 40, and down line interiorly of the port 40
there is formed an annular shoulder 41.
The top portion of the pump housing 32 is shown to include a
discharge housing 45 which similarly includes a discharge port 46
which fluid passing through the pump 10 will be ejected by
operation of the pump. The discharge housing 45 is held to the pump
housing 32 by fasteners 47 which consist of threaded bolts held in
position by nuts 48. As shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the
discharge housing 45 is shown to include a distinct annular step 49
which functions to hold the corresponding valve assembly firmly in
position as will be more fully described hereinafter.
Simiarly, the suction housing 37 is shown to include a distinct
annular step 43 which functions to hold the corresponding valve
assembly securely in position, again as will be more fully
described hereinafter.
As further shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 of the drawings, the pump 10 is
shown to be provided with a packing system generally referred to by
the numeral 50 which is formed by an annular grease ring 52 which
is formed by a thickened inner annular wall 53 and a
circumferentially grooved surface 54. The grooved surface 54
includes a plurality of grease apertures 55 which function to
permit grease to enter into the interior portion of the packing for
the purpose of lubricating the plunger arrangement 80 as will be
more fully described hereinafter. The inner thickened wall section
53 of the grease ring 52 includes a stepped section 56 (FIG. 2),
which accommodates an O-ring 57 positioned therein. It will be
appreciated that by this construction, the necessity for providing
any type of elastomeric seal ring or washer as heretofore been
provided in the prior art has been totally eliminated thereby to
improve the seal effected between the grease ring 52 and a
corresponding wall provided by the spacer element 30.
The packing system 50 further includes a plurality of flexible
annular V-packing rings 58 which are grouped together in stacking
arrangement. As is customary with these types of packing rings, the
inner and outer surfaces are contoured such that one packing 58 is
permitted stacking arrangement with the next adjacent packing 58.
It will also be appreciated that the packing rings 58 butt against
the grease ring 52 at the inner end of the stack, and at the outer
end of the stack of V-packing rings 58, the same butt against a
base V-ring 59.
The base ring 59 is shown to butt against coil spring 60 which is
interposed between the base V-ring 59 and the annular shoulder 41
formed in the plunger chamber 35. As has been indicated previously,
the coil spring 60 includes a final turn at the inner end thereof
which butts against the flat surface of the base V-ring 59. The
improvement of the present packing system 50 resides in the fact
that the base V-ring 59 is now formed of a non-resilient metallic
material, such as brass, in order to resist the stresses placed
upon the base V-ring 59 by the final turn of the spring 60. In this
manner, any tendency to warp or crack due to the high pressures
involved is totally resisted such that leaks in the packing system
50 are minimized, if not eliminated.
As is further shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the packing system
50 may be tightly positioned within the plunger chamber 35 by
tightening the nuts 39 carried on the bolts 38. It will be
appreciated from FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings that as the nuts 39
are tightened down, the pump housing 32 is drawn down against the
spacer element 30 causing the coil springs 60 to further compress
and further force the entire packing system 50 into a tight
arrangement within the plunger chamber 35. It will further be noted
that the packing system 50 is located immediately beneath and
underlies a greasing device such as a zerk fitting assembly 62
which functions to permit the operator to introduce grease into the
packing system 50, as is known in the art.
As is particularly shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 of the drawings, an
improved valve assembly, generally referred to by the numeral 65 is
illustrated. The valve assembly 65 is shown to be formed by
cup-shaped valve housing 66 which includes an apertured sidewall 67
and an apertured top wall 68. The bottom portion of the valve
housing 66 is shown to include an outwardly flanged rim 69 which
coacts with the valve seat section 70 of the valve assembly 65. The
valve seat section 70 is formed by a metallic main body portion 71
having an inner stepped wall 72 and an outer wall 73 which includes
an annular groove 74 formed therein. As particularly shown in FIG.
4 of the drawings, the flanged rim 69 formed as part of the valve
housing 66 is fixedly press fitted or otherwise secured within the
inner stepped wall 72 of the valve seat section 70 thereby to form
an integral valve assembly 65 which is basically of one piece
construction. During the manufacturing process, the valve is
provided with a valve cap 75 which is positioned within the valve
housing 66 and interposed between the apertured top wall 68 thereof
and the inner portion of the inner stepped wall 72 of the valve
seat section 70. As shown in FIG. 5, the central portion of the
valve seat section 70 includes a central main aperture 76, and it
will be appreciated that the valve cap 75 seats against the central
main aperture 76 to alternately open and close the valve assembly
65. The valve cap 75 is normally urged into a closing posture by
means of coil spring 77 which is shown to be interposed between the
valve cap 75 and the apertured top wall 68 of the valve housing 66.
When the valve assembly 65 is positioned within the appropriate
port, a pair of O-rings 78 and 79 respectively are positioned on
top and beneath the valve assembly to effectively seal the valve
assembly 65 into position within the appropriate port. This
arrangement is clearly shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings.
It will be appreciated from the above description that the valve
assembly 65 as set forth herein provides an improved valve assembly
for the reason that the requirement for any elastomeric seal ring
in order to hold the various parts of the valve assembly together
has been totally eliminated.
In addition, the elastomeric seal rings heretofore known in the art
have traditionally been utilized for the purpose of seating the
valve assembly into position within the corresponding port.
Generally, the outer diameter of the seal ring has been sized such
that the seal ring will frictionally fit within the corresponding
port and when the appropriate housing such as the suction housing
or the discharge housing are tightened down over the valve
assemblies, a reliance has been placed upon the characteristics of
the elastomeric seal ring for holding the valve assembly in secure
position within the port. However, as was indicated previously, it
has been found that with prolonged use, these elastomeric seal
rings have a tendency to cock or extrude out of the related port
thereby causing a floating of the valve assembly within the
corresponding port. This action, in turn, causes the pump to leak.
It will therefore be appreciated that by providing a valve assembly
which is essentially formed as an integral assembly of which the
main valve seat casting seats against the corresponding pump
casting with metal to metal contact, and including the O-ring as
the sealing means, the problem associated with the cocking or
extruding of the seal ring has been eliminated.
It will further be appreciated that during the manufacture of the
valve assembly 65 as described above, while the valve housing 66
and valve seat section 70 may be initially formed as two pieces,
the flanged rim 69 formed in the valve housing 66 is dimensionally
sized such that the same is press fitted or otherwise fixedly
secured within the inner stepped wall 72 of the valve seat section
70. Once these two pieces have been assembled, they essentially
form an integral assembly and cannot be removed such that an
effective one piece construction is ultimately achieved. It will be
appreciated that this type of manufacture is necessary if in fact
valve cap 75 and the coil spring 77 are to be inserted within the
inner confines of the valve housing 66 to construct an effective
valve assembly 65.
As further shown in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8 of the drawings, another
feature of the high pressure pump of the present invention relating
to the plunger arrangement 80 is illustrated. As was indicated
previously, the typical pumps of the prior art generally provide a
single cylindrical plunger of the type shown in Pat. No. 3,849,032.
However, it has been found that when the plunger must be replaced
due to the wearing of the surface thereof, it has been necessary to
completely dismantle the crank case housing in order to disconnect
the plunger from the crank shaft. The present invention seeks to
obviate this difficulty in the manner described hereinbelow.
As particularly shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings, the plunger
arrangement 80 is shown to be formed by the crank case plunger
section 81 which includes an inner end 82 having a transverse
apertured section 83 associated therewith for connection to the
crank shaft. The forward end 84 of the crank shaft plunger section
81 is provided with a centrally positioned annular recess 85, and
further including a interiorly positioned circumferential groove 86
(FIG. 2). Extending inwardly from the annular recess 85 is a
threaded core section 87 which accommodates the locking means as
will be more fully described below.
As is evident from FIGS. 2 and 8 of the drawings, the crank case
plunger section 81 is fixedly secured to the crank shaft 22 by
means of the connecting rod 23 which, in turn, is held in position
by the connecting pin 24 which is inserted through the transverse
apertured section 83 thereof. It will further be observed that the
forward end 84 of the crank case plunger section 81 extends into
the cylindrical chamber 31 of the spacer element 30 and hence,
projects outwardly from the crank case housing 12.
The plunger arrangement is essentially completed by a pump plunger
section 89 which includes an extension rod 91 formed at its inner
end, the extension rod 91 having an outside diameter slightly less
than the inside diameter of the annular recess 85 formed in the
crank case plunger section 81. The forward end 92 of the pump
plunger section 89 includes a central recess 93 and is
dimensionally sized to accommodate the locking means for lockingly
engaging the crank case plunger section 81 to the pump plunger
section 89. As is evident from FIG. 7 of the drawings, both the
crank case plunger section 81 and the pump plunger section 89 are
centrally cored as generally illustrated at 94, thereby to
accommodate the insertion therethrough of a threaded bolt 95.
As was indicated previously, the crank case plunger section 81 is
provided with a threaded core section 87, and it will be
appreciated that one end of the threaded bolt 95, when inserted
through the central core sections 94 will fit within the threaded
core section 87 and screw threadedly positioned therein. The upper
end of the threaded bolt 95 will then accommodate lock washer 96
and nut 97 with the nut 97 being accommodated within the central
recess 93 at the forward end of the pump plunger section 89.
It will be apreciated that by virtue of this construction, in order
to change and replace the plunger arrangement 80, the operator need
only dismantle the pump housing 32 in order to expose the pump
plunger section 89 thereof. The operator may then unscrew the nut
97 carried on the threaded bolt 95 and thereby remove the pump
plunger section 89 therefrom. This piece may then be easily
replaced such that the pump may then be placed back in operation.
It will therefore be appreciated that the repairs to the plunger
arrangement 80 may be easily effected within a minimum period of
time and at a minimum cost of labor, and also permitting the
operator minimal down time of his equipment.
Another advantage to be achieved by providing a two part plunger
arrangement 80 is the fact that the pump plunger section 89 may
assume a variety of diametric sizings. As shown in FIG. 7 of the
drawings, the typical arrangement is to provide a plunger
arrangement 80 wherein the crank case plunger section 81 and pump
plunger section 89 are of the same diameter. However, as shown in
FIG. 2 of the drawings, the pump plunger section 89 may be varied
to a smaller diameter when replacing the same. The significance of
this adaptability resides in the fact that a single high pressure
pump may be adapted to vary the discharge flow and pressure of the
fluid being discharged through the discharge housing 45. It will be
appreciated that where a smaller diameter pump plunger section 89
is employed, less water will be pushed, but at a higher or greater
pressure in terms of pounds per square inch. Hence, for example, if
a given high pressure pump is designed to push six gallons of a
fluid per minute, and the pump plunger section 89 is replaced with
a smaller diameter section, it is possible to push a smaller
amount, such as three gallons per minute of water, but the outgoing
pressure of the fluid exiting through the discharge housing 45 may
be at double the pressure in terms of pounds per square inch. It is
therefore possible to achieve the same ultimate result with a
lesser quantity of the fluid hence conserving the pump fluid. It
will be appreciated that where the operation involved is, for
example, a car wash assembly, and a high pressure pump is being
employed to pump water and soap onto the vehicle to be cleaned, and
should there be a problem with water shortages, the high pressure
pump can be converted to push less water per unit of time but at a
greater PSI pressure so that the same cleaning impact effect
against the body of the vehicle will be achieved. It will be
appreciated that this adaptation can be effected in the manner
hereinabove with a minimum of effort without the requirement of
completely dismantling the pump and the crank case housing in order
to effect this change.
The plunger arrangement 80 is shown to be completed by the
provision of a protector gasket 98 which is carried in a
circumferential groove 99 formed in the body of the pump plunger
section 89. The protector gasket 98 has the effect of further
insuring that the pump fluid contained within the pump housing 32
will not intermix with the lubricating fluid contained in the crank
case chamber 17 during the operation of the pump. In this
connection, the provision of a double lip seal gasket 29 heretofore
described further insures against the intermixture of such fluids.
In the prior art high pressure pumps, an O-ring or other sealing
gasket has usually been employed in riding engagement overriding
the crank case plunger section 81 of the plunger. During the
reciprocation of the plunger arrangement 80, it has been found that
the O-ring or other sealing gasket having two flat surfaces will
ultimately cock or extrude within the plunger chamber 35 and may
ultimately leak fluids either from the crank case chamber 17 into
the pump housing 32 or in the reverse direction. The double lip
seal gasket 29 provided herein includes a forward lipped portion 21
which is resilient and yieldable, as well as a rearward lipped
portion 25 which is similarly resilient and yieldable. It has been
found that this construction permits the gasket 29 to move with the
plunger arrangement 80 while at the same time eliminating any
extruding or cocking of the gasket during the performance of the
pump 10. Hence, there is a greater degree of insurability that
lubricating fluids from the crank case chamber 17 will not intermix
with any fluids from the pump housing 32.
The interconnection of the two sections of the plunger arrangement
80 is further provided with an O-ring 88 which is situated in the
circumferential groove 86 formed in the annular recess 85 of the
crank case plunger section 81. This eliminates the possibility of
fluid entering through the central core of the plunger arrangement
80 and exiting into the crank case housing 12.
As will be further be appreciated from a view of FIGS. 2 and 4 of
the drawings, the valve assemblies 65 which are positioned within
the corresponding suction housing 37 and discharge housing 45 are
in reversed position. In other words, during the suction stroke of
the plunger arrangement 80, the valve cap 75 within the valve
assembly 65 interposed in the path of the suction port 40 will
open, while at the same time, the valve cap 75 within the valve
assembly 65 positioned in the path of the discharge port 46 will
close. In this manner, fluid such as water or any other fluid to be
pumped is drawn into the suction housing 37, until the plunger
arrangement 80 is pushed through a pressure stroke by the crank
shaft 22. During the pressure stroke of the plunger arrangement 80,
the corresponding valve assembly 65 will simply reverse such that
the valve assembly in the path of the suction port 40 will close
and the valve assembly 65 in the path of the discharge port 46 will
open such that fluid will be ejected through the discharge port 46
in a manner customarily known in the art. The improved packing
system 50 insures that the component parts of the packing system
will not break down with prolonged usage thereby to insure the
efficiency of the subject pump over a long period of time. It has
been found that with the novel construction of the valve assemblies
as set forth herein, the useful life of the valve assemblies has
been increased approximately twenty fold over the life of valve
assemblies heretofore known in the art.
Overall, the useful life of the entire high pressure pump assembly
of the present invention has been increased a significant degree
over prior art types of similar pumps by the improvements as set
forth herein. As was indicated hereinabove, the valve assemblies
have been improved by providing a single piece construction as
opposed to a multiple piece construction, and in addition to this
feature, the provision of a two piece plunger arrangement has
similarly had a marked effect on the useful life of the pump. The
improvements relating to the improved packing system as well as to
the improved sealing and gasket system has similarly had a
significant impact on the useful like of such pumps especially when
it is considered that pumps of this type are utilized under high
pressure situations.
As was also indicated previously, an additional improvement has
been effected to the pump of the present invention in terms of the
configuration of the crank case housing 12. As shown in FIG. 9 of
the drawings, the bottom wall 14 of the crank case housing 12 is
shown to assume a V-shaped configuration generally indicated by the
numeral 16. In this connection, it will be observed that the
V-shaped configuration 16 extends from a high point along the
sidewalls of the housing 12 downwardly to the apex or middle
portion of the V-shaped configuration 16 along the center line of
the housing 12. In addition, and as will be observed in FIG. 2 of
the drawings, the bottom wall 14 of the housing 12 is pitched from
a high point at the inner end of the housing 12 to a low point
adjacent the outer wall of the housing 12 such that there is an
overall top to bottom pitch in the direction of the oil entry port
18. This feature has a direct impact on the ability to effectively
drain the used lubricating fluid from the crank case chamber 17
such that any sludge or any foreign matter existing in the
lubricating fluid will similarly be induced to exit through the oil
entry port 18. Hence, a more efficient and positive draining of the
crank case chamber 17 is effected. This feature, in addition to
those features set forth above, also has an impact on the useful
life of the overall pump 10 since there is less wearing of the
parts in the crank case housing 12 due to the fact that the
lubricating fluid, when replaced, will have a tendency to include
less sludge and foreign matter as heretofore permissible with
presently available devices.
It will be appreciated from the above description that by virtue of
the present invention, there has been provided an improved high
pressure pump of the type having reciprocating plungers formed
therein, whereby the useful life of the pump has been prolonged
significantly over what has been feasible to date. In addition, by
providing an improved valve assembly for such pumps, the problem of
leakage through defective valves has been further minimized.
Furthermore, the provision of a two-piece plunger arrangement has
not only minimized the cost and time required for replacing a worn
or damaged plunger, but in addition, the operator now has a
significant degree of versatility in terms of converting a single
pump to multiple gallonage discharge rates while still performing
the same function. The improvement in the construction of the
housing, especially as that construction relates to the
configuration of the bottom wall insures that a more efficient
drainage of the crank case chamber can be accomplished such that
again, there is a minimal wearing of the parts in the crank case
chamber with usage. It will further be appreciated that by virtue
of the improvements set forth herein, the overall cost of not only
manufacture, but also operation and maintenance of such high
pressure pumps has been significantly improved.
While there has been described what is at present considered to be
the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood
that various modificiations may be made therein and it is intended
to cover in the appended claims all such modificiations as fall
within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *